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The DEEP

Appearing before the Lord

is supposed to be intimidating.

Exodus 23:13-19 (NKJV)

“And in all that I have said to you, be circumspect and make no mention of the name of other gods, nor let it be heard from your mouth.

“Three times you shall keep a feast to Me in the year: You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread (you shall eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt; none shall appear before Me empty); and the Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors which you have sown in the field; and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you have gathered in the fruit of your labors from the field.

“Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord GOD.

“You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread; nor shall the fat of My sacrifice remain until morning. The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring into the house of the LORD your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.”

These rules are all religious. None make any sense secularly. Because boiling a young goat in its mother's milk is so creepy, many think this must have been a pagan practice that God bans here. However, no evidence of this practice has turned up, so commentators don’t recommend taking this expression literally. It’s better understood as a ban on eating meat and cheese together.

Importantly, God says, “Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord GOD.” Both YHVH and Adonai are used here. Other translations say, “… before the LORD your God.” This is highly specific and personal.

It means that each feast involves sacrifice before the Lord, in the tabernacle. While, “None shall appear before Me empty,” is in reference to the feast of the unleavened bread, in context it refers to all three feasts. Similarly, “The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring into the house of the LORD your God,” is a general rule, even though it sounds like it only applies to the Feast of Harvest.

These appearances before the LORD are more important than the celebrations they are associated with.


Appearing before the LORD is meant to be serious and intimidating. Yet we appear before the LORD every time we pray. Are you ever intimidated by that? Do you wonder if your prayers are proper?

Every Christian should periodically take stock of their prayer life. Am I praying regularly enough? Am I praying reverently enough? Is my prayer life edifying? What impact is my prayer life having on my spiritual growth?

This is a great topic to take up with your pastor or other spiritual mentor. They’re sure to be helpful. Spiritually mature Christians almost invariably have a strong prayer life.

It has a lot to do with how they became mature.


The weekly study guides, which include discussion questions, are available for download here:

https://www.ailbe.org/resources/itemlist/category/91-deep-studies

Mike Slay

As a mathematician, inventor, and ruling elder in the Presbyterian Church in America, Mike Slay brings an analytical, conversational, and even whimsical approach to the daily study of God's Word.

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